What is a portion? Below are some examples of what constitutes 1 portion of each food group.

A healthy balanced diet is important for a maintaining good health. It improves general wellbeing, helps with weight management and reduce the risk of long term conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Why count calories?

If you are trying to lose or gain weight, it is useful to have an understanding of the amount of calories in the foods and drink you consume. Knowing the calorie contents of food helps us to carefully select the types of food we eat so that we can avoid excess, choose healthier options and maintain a healthy weight. 1 kilogram is 7,000 calories, so if you consume just 100 calories per day more than your requirements e.g. by eating one or two biscuits each day), in one year this is equal to 36,500 calories. This could mean a weight gain of around 5 kg (10lb) in one year, just by having 100 calories per day more than you need.

Below are some examples of what constitutes 1 portion of each food group.